The Deposition Vote
The Anglican Communion Institute receives favorably the news that considerable canonical discussion took place, or was sought, by as many as 36 Bishops in yesterday's proceedings.
Anglican Communion Institute (ACI)
A Response to Mark McCall's "Is the Episcopal Church Hierarchical" from Progressive Episcopalians in Pittsburgh
We have been alerted by a group called "Progressive Episcopalians in Pittsburgh" that they are to post a response to Mr McCall's essay which appeared earlier on the ACI website. We have seen the response of Dr Gundersen, and we understand it is now before the public. It is vital that there be an opportunity for discussion of these important issues. Our comment for now is as follows.
"The Anglican Communion Institute is pleased that Mark McCall's serious paper is receiving wide consideration. It should be read carefully by all who are interested in TEC's polity. Unfortunately, Dr.
The Episcopal Church and the Proposed Anglican Covenant: A Case of Aggressive Disproportion
It is no secret that the bishops who assembled at Lambeth were asked to complete a survey soliciting their views on the proposed Anglican Covenant. It is now no secret, based upon public statements made by TEC Bishops, that, while most American bishops may favor some version of the first two sections of the proposed covenant, they oppose the third section and the appendix. Here are outlined the likely consequences should a Province exceed the limits of diversity generally accepted by the Communion as a whole.
Do Bishops Deserve Due Process?
ACI has consistently sought to secure the mission and identity of The Episcopal Church within the larger Anglican Communion. Events such as the published proceeding against Bishop Duncan clearly belong to a larger effort to create an office of Presiding Bishop, and a way of proceeding in the present season, at odds with the constitution and canons of this church. We are for this reason concerned to publish the timely statement of Mark McCall.
Click here to download the full article in PDF Format
Truthful Language and Orderly Separation
The Anglican Communion is currently pursuing a number of activities in response to the acrimonious struggle over sexual teaching and discipline within our churches. These activities have been encouraged by the Communion's leadership, including at the recent Lambeth Conference. I have, to various degrees, been a supporter of these activities, not least because I have trusted those who have promoted these means towards ecclesial healing.
Constitution And Canons: What Do They Tell Us About TEC?
"Is The Episcopal Church Hierarchical?" Full Download (PDF Format) Near the center of the struggle now going on about the future of the Anglican Communion lays a dispute over the nature of the polity that ought to order its life in the years ahead. From the beginning of the debate, The Episcopal Church (TEC) has claimed that its form of governance is unique, and that the Communion as a whole ought to take this fact into account as decisions are made about future relations between its various Provinces.
True Christian Unity? Reflections on the Lambeth Conference
Anyone who has observed the Anglican Communion over the past few months knows that the outcome to the recent Lambeth Conference is not simply going to be smooth sailing for our churches. The press itself has veered wildly in its evaluation of the Communion throughout the Conference: first, there were declarations of Anglicanism's imminent demise, then claims of dire victory for liberal or conservative forces respectively, then the crowning of Rowan Williams as the Great Peacemaker, and now, most recently, the stoking of new acrimony with stale "revelations" of the Archbishop's long-known
Lambeth Conference: An Anglican Communion Institute Perspective
We have followed closely the events at Lambeth. We have been pleased at the regular meetings of Communion Partner Bishops together with English Bishops and key Global South Primates. Much hard work and prayerful cooperation was in evidence and we thank God for that.
In a telephone interview yesterday with the New York journal "First Things," the topic was general accomplishments of the conference. Here are several things noted:
In a telephone interview yesterday with the New York journal "First Things," the topic was general accomplishments of the conference. Here are several things noted:
GAFCON & The Anglican Covenant
One of the most serious questions left unanswered after the GAFCON conference was where the movement stood in relation to the proposed Anglican covenant. That question now appears to have been answered fairly unequivocally in two documents (from the GAFCON Theological Resource Team) on the St Andrew's Draft Text to which the 7 GAFCON Primates refer in their response to the Archbishop of Canterbury. These are apparently based on pre-conference discussions in Jerusalem. One is a response to the draft text and includes the following paragraph:
Enlightened American Episcopalianism
In order properly to appreciate the dynamics of the present season it is imperative to understand the regnant self-perception of progressive Episcopalians (and their friends). It is easy enough to understand that 'the Global South' has a different self-understanding than the American one – making allowance for a vast region with different nuances and priorities.
